Arthur L. Staples Jr.

Trooper Arthur Staples was shot and killed while attempting to arrest two 16-year-old car thieves on Tower Hill Road, in North Kingstown. He had stopped the stolen vehicle for a traffic violation and determined that neither one had a valid license. As he drove the car back to the Wickford barracks one of the boys pulled out a gun and shot him in the back of the neck, killing him. The boys then dumped his body on the roadway and fled in the vehicle. They were arrested the following morning. The suspect who killed Trooper Staples was convicted of second degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. He was denied parole on November 3, 1954. Trooper Staples had served with the Rhode Island State Police for 18 months.